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Roots In Sewer Line Video

In the spring, trees start to bloom and grow leaves. But they also have aggressive root growth. These roots can cause problems if they work their way into your sewer line. Try this method to stop the roots from getting in the sewer line.

Use a hand operated auger to dig a 2-1/2 inch diameter hole into the ground. Then using 1-1/2 inch diameter PVC pipe with a pipe cap to drive into the ground. This pipe will be used to insert the root killing copper sulfate crystals into the ground.

Stop the drill about two feet above the sewer line. Extensions for the auger may be required to reach the desired depth. This will allow the crystals to poison the soil above and around the sewer pipe. Once the auger hole is done, drop the PVC pipe down in the hole and place the cap on it. The cap should be flush with the surrounding ground.

Pour the copper sulfate crystals down the tube and pour in some hot water. The water will help dissolve the crystals and spread them into the soil.

Some cautions before starting this job! Contact the local sewer district to help locate you sewer line. Or get a plumber who has equipment to locate sewer lines. Before you drill, be sure to locate all underground utilities, including power, telephone, cable, water lines and natural gas pipes. You don't want to hit any of these utilities. They are costly to repair if you hit one.

Since we have a huge number of trees and a long run for our sewer line, I was able to locate a company on Angie's List that would locate all the sewer lines / gutter drain lines, etc. If you don't live in a city, your county sewer & water dept cannot help find lines on your property. I think I was originally scared that this was going to cost a lot of money, but for what we got, it was worth every penny of $550- $200 for the first hour and $125 for each hr after that (ours ended up being a little more costly because they had to clear a blockage.). They marked the sewer line from the back of the house to the front with green markers, located every turn, located and dug out every cleanout, and the depths were marked on them. They also did a complete video of the insides of the entire line with a DVD for me. Since our line is fairly recent in the past 15-20 yrs, there were absolutely no roots. There was a slight sewer blockage as the line dropped under the road out front and that clearing of the blockage was done as well. Without the blockage time in there it would have been about an hr to hr & 1/2 less in cost. They also used a small camera and water to determine the location and drainage point for our gutter drains. But for the $$, it's well worth it to have this done so you know what you're getting into. Also to use Tim's tips, you'll know where every cleanout is, and you can use those to dump in the crystals if you need them. One tip from me, I bought some PVC couplers and green PVC drain covers and created "dummy" drains above every cleanout as the small caps Tim is using here are easily covered over & forgotten. I can find every single cleanout now with ease and treat the lines in the future if it's needed. But that camera exploration was fantastic.